Three Triangle MedTech startups score big with key accelerator
Three young Triangle-based medical technology companies with roots in Duke University research labs are getting major global attention from their industry.
They’re among the 65 cutting-edge companies from around the world that were recently chosen to participate in the 2025 Accelerator Cohort of MedTech Innovator (MTI), the world's largest accelerator for medical device, digital health, and diagnostic companies.
CytexOrtho and inSoma Bio, both of Durham, and VQ Biomedical of Cary, all North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech) portfolio companies, are among the top 4%, chosen from among nearly 1,500 global applicants, to walk this year’s “red carpet” of MedTech entrepreneurial pathways.
They’re participating in MTI’s intensive four-month series of showcases, mentorships and industry access opportunities, and competing for a share of $800,000 in non-dilutive funding, with winners selected by audience vote at major industry conferences.
MTI describes its Accelerator program as “designed to de-risk innovation and accelerate the path to U.S. market success.”
According to Greta Brunet, MBA, PA-C, senior director of investments with NCBiotech’s Emerging Company Development (ECD) group, “The MedTech Innovator Accelerator provides unparalleled access to industry leaders, expert mentorship, and a powerful peer network. This is invaluable as our NCBiotech portfolio companies advance their technology toward U.S. market entry and broader patient impact.”
Brunet, an entrepreneurship advocate trained as a certified physician assistant, has been a driving force behind a statewide focus on helping hands-on clinical care providers of all disciplines to commercialize ideas for fixing problems and improving systems.
CytexOrtho seeks alternatives to joint replacement
MTI chose CytexOrtho for the Surgical and Orthopedic sector. The company’s 3D-printed cartilage and bone technology to treat osteoarthritis is based on Duke University Medical Center research conducted by the company’s founders, including CEO Brad Estes, Ph.D.
“Today, too many patients are stuck waiting – in pain – because they’re considered too young for joint replacement,” explains Estes. “At CytexOrtho, we’re changing that. For us, it’s about joint restoration, not replacement, so people can stay active and avoid unnecessary compromise.”
Instead of replacing the entire joint with a metal-and-plastic prosthesis, surgeons will be able to remove only the damaged surface tissue and place the ReNew Hip implant, Estes adds. “Our implant effectively restores the joint’s shape and function immediately – and over time it’s gradually replaced by the patient’s living tissue. That’s the power of a truly regenerative solution.”
The technology received Breakthrough Device designation in early 2023 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It’s especially significant because osteoarthritis affects nearly one in 13 people globally.
NCBiotech awarded CytexOrtho a $250,000 Small Business Research Loan in 2022 and another for $350,000 in 2024 to help support its ReNew Hip implant clinical trial in humans. The company, founded in 2006, will surpass $22 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health this year.
“The team at Cytex has been a delight to work with,” said Kathy Meserve, who is also an NCBiotech ECD senior director of investments. “We have supported its bioabsorbable hip resurfacing technology with two loans now and have been very pleased with their progress. We were thrilled to learn that Cytex was among the top contenders chosen to pitch this year at the MedTech Innovator conference.”
inSoma Bio developing new reconstructive tissue options
inSoma Bio, a 2018 spinout from Duke University, and part of MTI’s Regenerative Medicine & Wound Care category, is developing an injectable biopolymer gel designed to help plastic surgeons create lasting soft tissue using a patient’s own liposuctioned fat.
The technology is drawing special interest as a more natural alternative to synthetic implants and fillers in both reconstructive and aesthetic procedures—for example, in breast reconstruction, where it offers the potential to rebuild tissue using only the patient’s fat tissue.
inSoma is one of only five companies chosen for the ASPS Plastic Surgery Track, a collaboration with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) focused on advancing innovation in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.
“We’re honored to be part of a program with a proven track record of launching some of the most impactful Medtech startups in the world,” said Stefan Roberts, Ph.D., an inSoma co-founder and the company’s CEO.
NCBiotech awarded inSoma a $250,000 Small Business Research Loan in 2021 and a $500,000 Strategic Growth Loan in 2023 to fund manufacturing scale-up and related studies.
“NCBiotech was an early supporter of inSoma and we have been impressed with the company’s focus and trajectory,” said Jason Doherty, Ph.D., also an NCBiotech ECD senior director of investments. “We’re very excited to see inSoma receive wonderful recognition such as its inclusion in the MedTech Innovator Accelerator, especially as inSoma moves closer to its next clinical and financial milestones.”
VQ Biomedical catheter targets lung damage
VQ Biomedical, a 2023 Duke spinout, is among the MTI Cardiovascular & Interventional group’s winners. It’s developing a novel, minimally invasive catheter to deliver oxygen directly to the bloodstream in people with life-threatening lung damage.
When people suffer major lung damage and acute respiratory distress syndrome, treatment options are limited. Clinicians, unfortunately, don’t have many options for providing oxygen support when mechanical ventilation becomes insufficient.
The last resort is a complicated and risky technology called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). But only about one in 10 U.S. hospitals is equipped for that process. VQ Biomedical is developing a technology platform to improve upon that complex problem.
“Being accepted into the MTI program has been a significant boost for VQ and we're incredibly optimistic about the opportunities it presents,” said Galen Robertson, the company’s CEO.
“The MTI program has a remarkable track record, with 93% of its participating companies over the past 13 years either still actively operating or having been acquired. This high success rate provides invaluable external validation for VQ Biomedical, and it's truly gratifying to see a broader audience recognize the potential that the North Carolina Biotechnology Center identified in us early on. We are also already seeing great value from the extensive network that MTI has connected us with.”
NCBiotech’s Brunet, who has been working closely with VQ, noted, “It’s inspiring to see the MedTech Innovator Accelerator recognize the clinician-driven innovation at the heart of VQ Biomedical. Tobias Straube, M.D., a pediatric ICU physician, first developed this concept based on his frontline experience, and together with Galen Robertson, they’re turning it into a reality that could transform the world of respiratory care for critically ill patients.”
NCBiotech awarded a $300,000 strategic growth loan to VQ Biomedical in 2024. “As an early supporter of VQ Biomedical, NCBiotech is excited to see this technology continue to advance,” added Brunet. “It could significantly lower the risks and challenges of mechanical ventilation and ECMO, while enhancing patient and health-system outcomes.”
MTI Accelerator program peaks this fall
The MTI accelerator will culminate in October with all 65 companies participating in a series of showcases, industry and investor partnering opportunities and competitions at The MedTech Conference, hosted October 5-8 in San Diego by the industry trade association AdvaMed.
The MTI early-stage finals competition will be held at The MedTech Conference on October 6. The MTI mid-stage finals competition will be held November 19-21 at the MedTech Strategist Innovation Summit in San Diego.
Since its founding by CEO Paul Grand in 2013, MTI says its Innovator alumni have collectively brought over 400 products to market and raised $10 billion in follow-on funding.